Cruising in Alaska with a Baby

[sugarcoated]

My husband and I have always wanted to visit Alaska and highly considering booking a cruise for this May. I wondered however if my one year old would have anything to do and if the weather would be warm enough to be in the pool and things like that. Has anybody cruised Alaska with a small child?

TIA!

[c-cruise]

Yes, we have done Alaska with our daughter a couple of times. Once at 5 months and again last Summer at 2yr. We have done 5 cruises with her overall and found Alaska to be as easy as it gets with a small child.

 

The main thing I caution people about when cruising with a infant/toddler is that you will be limited in what you can realistically see and do (some excursions won't be possible, etc.). We had been to Alaska several times prior so missing out on some things wasn't a big deal to us. However, on a first trip to Alaska you will want to see and do as much as possible which may be frustrating when you have a 1yr old with you.

 

Generally speaking in May it won't be warm enough to use the outdoor pools, but many of the ships have a covered pool area which can be used. Children have to be potty trained (no swim diapers) so a 1yr old won't be able to go in the pool.

 

You won't be able to leave a 1yr old in the kids club, but many lines allow you to bring a younger child into the kids area if a parent stays with them. We have taken advantage of this quite a bit with our daughter and the staff have always welcomed us and let her run around and play. Looking forward to our next trip though when we can actually drop her off at the kids area and go do our own thing ;) Other than the kids area at that age our daughter enjoyed just strolling around the ship and checking things out. She was pretty content just going along with whatever we were doing.

[iamaqt2]

Sugarcoated, just wanted to give you a heads up that Disney Cruise Line will be sailing to Alaska next year. I know it's hard if you want to go now, but you might enjoy it a little more when you can actually use most of the kids facilities on board.

 

They definitely will not allow a 1 year old into the pools. I have however seen people post that they've used their stateroom bathtubs to let the little ones splash in.

 

Another consideration is the weather. If you have to push a stroller around in the pouring rain, how fun will that be?

[Budget Queen]

Yes, plenty of families travel Alaska. Key is preparation and realistic expectations. As noted, many tours will not be available to you, nor a good idea. In dining rooms, you really need to understand the necessity to exit, if disruptions happen- no way to predict toddler behavior for tolerating extended dining. Same with shows, etc.

 

As mentioned, sorry, no pools are going to be available to you, please, don't "try" to use one. It is a significant health concern.

 

The Disney suggestion is a great option to also consider.

[PennyAgain]

If you only have a shower in your bathroom, you can use a bring along blow up baby bath tub. Bit of a stretch for Mom, but useable. On the ships that have the 'salad bowl' sinks, bathing a baby in one of those is impossible.